IN THE NEWS

Six Saudi female scholarship students, along with four of their male colleagues, have received US board certification in nuclear medicine technology.This is the largest number of Saudi students who have graduated with this rare specialization, local media reported on Friday. Sarah Yasir Farhood graduated in nuclear medicine technology in Boston, before obtaining US board certification in this specialization. “I chose this field because it is rare in the Kingdom. I intend to pass the US test and register for a specialization in nuclear medicine.” Sarah defines nuclear medicine as a branch of diagnostic medicine that contributes to treating various diseases. This technology uses small doses of rays from the nucleus of an atom and usually administers them through an injection, orally or through inhaling it. The radioactive material is concentrated in the afflicted organ, and releases invisible rays that are picked up by a special device called a Gama camera. Radioactive material can be injected into an afflicted organ and destroys sick cells. She said nuclear medicine has many uses such as heart imaging, bone imaging to examine fractures, inflammations and tumors, kidney, gall bladder and stomach examinations, and examinations for the possibility of lung blockage. She said that there is another part of nuclear medicine, which is the positron emission tomography, which is three-dimensional imaging. This imaging depends on injecting the patient with a radioactive solution that is linked to an active element such as sugar, to concentrate the solution in cancerous cells, allowing doctors to make an accurate diagnosis. She said after finishing three years of study, she underwent training at one of the largest hospitals in Boston, and learned how to care for patients and deal quickly with emergencies, in addition to attending nuclear medicine conferences inside and outside the state. “This was very good for us as students because it allowed us to build a social network of technicians from other countries,” she said.